The present invention generally relates to the lighting of interior spaces and, more particularly, to systems and methods for achieving indirect lighting in an interior space from ceiling suspended lighting fixtures.
Illuminating interior spaces, such as open offices, using indirect lighting systems is well known. One commonly used approach to indirect lighting in open office environments is to use linear indirect fluorescent lighting wherein elongated indirect fixture elements are suspended below the ceiling and arranged in rows or grid patterns to achieve a desired lighting environment. Normally, individual fixture elements are connected together to form continuous runs of fixtures including runs that have bends or intersect one another. In a typical installation, parallel runs of fixtures are provided with predetermined center-to-center spacings that achieve a desired illumination at task surfaces in the space and desired contrast-brightness ratios on the overhead ceiling. Typical center-to-center spacings for continuous runs of linear indirect fluorescent lighting are between eight and fifteen feet depending upon the fluorescent lamps used, the suspension height, and the distribution characteristics of the luminaire.
Current approaches to designing linear indirect fluorescent lighting systems suffer from the need to configure and install systems that are relatively complex to put together and install, or are visually bulky, or light up the interior space in ways that make it difficult to reconfigure the use of the space, such as by inserting or moving partition walls. The need exists for an indirect fluorescent lighting system that is visually pleasing, that provides a desired and and acceptable light distribution within the space, and that provides the greatest flexibility in reconfiguring an open office space without a detrimental impact on the quality of lighting in the environment. A need also exists for an indirect lighting system that can be used to replace recessed direct lighting fixtures commonly found in open office environments.